I decided to signup for this round more out of nostalgia than anything else. I figured running a scan planet would a suitable means of being a useful contribution, but not dragging me into being online at specific times and therefore late for work and such.
The galaxy I landed in after the shuffle was OKish, hovering around the top 60 for the first week. There were a few active players, who were able to arrange a registered IRC channel to chat with each other. I had the impression the gal was entirely euro-centric, since all this chatting was done in the mid-late evening peak times. After this they would all quit, and the channel would be left with just P and my IRC bouncer. Now since I work fairly long hours during the (UK) daytime (often 8-12 hours a day anywhere between 10am and midnight), my IRC-active times would tend to be in the early am. In this galaxy of euro-centered and painfully average players, no one would be online after midnight and I'd have no one to talk to. Nevertheless, I continued to report the incs for those that had given contact details.
One night I log in to find I'd been exiled and kickbanned from the gal channel for '
not chatting on IRC'. Certainly made me look like a shmuck for helping them out, didn't it?
The next galaxy I land in was in a rather better position, holding comfortably in the top 40. They had a few more people on IRC than the last gal, which even stretched into overnight activity. These players were delighted to hear I was a scanner, and when online I provided them as needed. My defense fleet - comprised of a few fighters - wasn't great, but I sent it when I could.
Around ten days after arriving I find (after no warning) that I've been exiled and kickbanned from the gal channel so they '
could recieve a bigger planet in the next exile'.
The silver lining to this is that yesterday morning I arrive in a galaxy that is just out of the top 20. It's full of decently ranking planets, and during my lie-in that morning I'd recieved two PA mails asking me to join the IRC channel. I enter it and greet the channel to find one active person, who asks if I'm the new guy. Then he (or she) stops talking.
With that day being my birthday, I decide the abandon the computer machine for a few hours to indulge in some alcohol-related activities. However, I'm back home by midnight to a more active galaxy channel. I say hi, confirm which planet I am to the paranoid dude who notices me, then leave the computer to cook some food. Because I'm very hungry.
Guess what happens next guys! I'm exiled and kickbanned from the gal channel for '
not helping [them] much'. Shocker! Apparently during my 30min eating absence they'd asked me some question and because I hadn't replied, this was a worthy reason to be immediately removed from their presence.
Before I get into the point of this thread, I'd like to name and shame the primarily responsible person in the final galaxy as being Frizz, a member of Omen. Congratulations, in your quest to build up an elite galaxy of experienced ever-active players, you just kicked out an experienced and active player who happens to leave the computer for food occasionally
My main issue with PA now is the exile system being so depressingly geared for making players feel unwanted and unecessary. Why even bother sending an automated mail stating the reason of the exile when:
a) 99% of GCs don't change the default reason and
b) 99% of exiles are voted on and go through before the intended target can read the mail.
Surely there should be some system for galaxies comprised of people from differing timezones or active times to exile each other without it being so faceless and immediate. People are always complaining over the lack of US and Aussie players to watch their gals at night, yet I can easily see why we have this absence if those that have signed up recieved the same experience as me. I understand the need for removing 'dead weight' from galaxies, but surely this can be accoplished through a server-side activity check, removing planets quicker the longer they don't log in?
Also, having to change my auto-perform and reintroduce myself every week sucks.
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